Hopper car



July 14, 1936. H. M. PFLAGER ET AL 2,047,289

HOPPER CAR Filed June 5, 1953 2 sheets-sheet 1 www@ July 14, 1936.

H. M. PFLAGER E1- AL 2,047,289

HOPPER CAR Filed June 5, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 14, 1936 omiso amiss HOPPER CAR Harry lflager,

St. Louis, Mo., and'- Einar' G. Hallduist, Wallingford,

and William M. Sheehan', ll/Icrion,v Pa., assignors to AGeneral Steel Castings Corporation, Granite Cityi Ill., a corporation of' Delaware application-mm 5,1933, serialfNo. 674,264@ iiio'laims. (o1. 10s- 249) This invention relates torailway' rolling stock and consists in a novel hopper car underframe structure.

Heretofore multiple door hopper cars have been provided with separate hoppers located on each side of the center sill, and due to manufacturing diiculties and for other reasons, these cars: have usually been constructed of a plurality of rolled steel parts secured together by riveting or welding. It is a.l well known fact that rolled steel plates and structural shapes' corrode and wear away much faster than steel castings and" v that a built-up construction frequently has the further' disadvantage' of the existence of crevices at the joints into which granular materials may sift,` which'` results in corrosion and gradual wearing away of thev metal', causing the opening of seams at the joints which, in the absence of continual maintenance', eventually weaken-the structure. E210I The provision of separate hoppers on each side of the longitudinal center line limits the capacity of the car' and the restricted discharge openings tend to impede the dumping of the lading.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a hopper car underframe structure particularly adapted for integrall construction and which shall thereby attain the advantages of increased simplicity, rigidity and durability which such' construction possesses over built-up struc-'- tures'.

Another object is to provide improved hopper car construction whereby maximum capacity is attained' and discharge of lading is facilitated, and at the Sametime weight and manufacturing difficulties are decreased.

These objects and othersI are attained by forming substantially the entire underframe of a single integral casting having a plurality ofh'oppers extending the full width of the underframe and, in one form of the invention,` by entirely eliminating the usual center sill.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention-'- Figure l is a top view of a hopper forming"7 underfrarne.`

Figure 2 is in part a side view of thev same showing' portions of the superstructure, the left llal'f being a longitudinal section on the line 2"--2' of Figure I. l I

Figures 3, 5, '71, and 8' are vertical transverse sections taken on the corresponding section lines of Figure l. Y

Figure 4' is' a similarI section taken on the line 55'-` 4--` Of Figllfe 2.

Figures 6, 9, and lil are partial vertical lon'- gitudinal sections taken on the corresponding section lines of Figure l.

The entire underframe is preferably formed as' an integra-l metal casting including bolsters 5' EF-d5, draft sills 32, and diagonale flif, the draft sills, bols-ters, and diagonale serving to transmit longitudinal forces, such as buiiing and draft shocks, to and from the sides of the underfr'amef. l

Between the holsters are a series of hoppers',` 10' each extending substantially the full width of the underframe with their side and' end wallsconstituting the underframe' structure intermediate the bolsters. The slopingend walls 55ul comprise and constitute intermediate transoms. Thek 15' hopper side walls 48 extend substantially' to the top of the underirame and are doubled over, as indicated at A3', to form boX-iike structure extending substantiallyth'e full length' of the underframe between the bolsters and merging with 210" the bolsters and inward extensions of the diagonals M, the sills d3' being sufficiently heavy to transmit all longitudinal forces on the underframe. The portions lid' of the holsters' outwardly of the beams 4l are substantially of I section, 25 as shown in Figure 2D, while the portions d5 thereof between the beams M are deepened and of box section, as indicated in Figure i9'. Portions 4'311; of the .side sills merging with the inclined side walls i8 oi the hoppers are of boxsection', as shown in Figures 3 andA 4, while the portionsV 63h' are of hollow open-sided; section (Figure 8'). The end portions idc of the side sills beyond the beams 4l are` of right angle sec'- l tion (Figure '7-)`. Thus the portions of the side 35 sillswhich directly receive transverse forces from' the intermediate' transoms i6V and iia' are of heavier construction than the portions thereof more remote from the transom's. If desired, however, the entire side sills may be of' box or open- 0 sided section, or otherwise shaped, but these must be of sufficient strength to carry all draft andbufling forces' and vertical loads on the underframe. The heavy side sills are also well adapted'. ,s to formv reinforcement for the lower edges of the superstructure side walls 4l. Y In order to resist secondary bending stresses, the bottoms of the hopper end walls are downwardly bellied in shape and preferably' of oatenaryfV 55 contour, as atv 49 in Figure 3, this shaping being: particularly desirable where the hopper flooring` slopes comparatively gradually, making an angle with a horizontal of 45 degrees or less, as in the present case.

The hoppers have greater capacity than where separate hoppers are provided on each side of the center sill and the hopper opening may be made substantially larger to thereby facilitate and hasten unloading. The discharge of the lading is increased in even greater proportion than the increase in the area of the discharge opening due to the entire elimination of the obstructions at the center of the hoppers since in unloading bulk materials through bottom doors the lading tends to clear first at the center. The metal is most conveniently disposed to withstand all forces to which the various parts may be subjected without at the same time unduly increasing the weight of the structure.

The advantages referred to may obviously be attained substantially in structures varying in certain details from the embodiment described and the exclusive use of all modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a hopper car underframe, a series of longitudinally disposed hoppers with side walls, said walls being folded upon themselves at their tops to form underframe main force transmitting elements.

2. In a hopper car underframe structure, a hopper side wall with a portion at its upper extremity folded upon itself to form a hollow sill structure having at least three sides and suiiiciently substantial to transmit draft and bufiing forces applied to the underframe.

3. In a hopper car underframe, a hopper extending from side to side of the underframe and unobstructed at the center, said hopper having a side wall with its upper portion folded upon itself to form a substantial underframe side sill element for transmitting longitudinal forces.

4. A hopper car integral cast underframe struc` ture including a plurality of hoppers having side walls, and a cross tie extending across the underframe between said hoppers, the upper portions of said side walls being folded upon themselves to form substantial side sill structure, the folded over extremities of said side walls adjacent said cross tie merging with portions of said walls spaced from said extremities to form box section sill structure for receiving forces directly from said cross tie.

5. In a hopper car underframe, bolsters, side sills, longitudinally discharging hoppers, a transverse member extending in a direct line between the upper portions of said sills, and a transverse member extending in a downwardly bellied curve between the lower portions of the opposing edges of said sills, said members defining an elongated deep hopper discharge opening extending substantially from one side sill to the other and constituting the sole cross member load supporting structure between said sills intermediate said bolsters,

6. In a hopper car underframe, bolsters, side sills, a hopper located between and below the tops of said sills and comprising a member extending in a direct line substantially the entire distance between said sills but sloping longitudinally of the car and forming an end wall of said hopper and another transverse member extending in a downwardly bellied curve substantially the entire distance between said sills but sloping downwardly and longitudinally of the car toward said first mentioned member, the space betwen the lower edges of said members defining an elongated hopper discharge opening extending substantially from side sill to side sill, said members being formed with sufficient strength to constitute the sole cross member load supporting means between said sills intermediate said bolsters 7. In a hopper car underframe, bolsters, side sills, a series of hoppers between said bolsters, said hoppers being located between and below the tops of said sills and including members extending in a direct line substantially the entire distance between said sills but sloping longitudinally of the car, each of said members forming an end wall of a hopper, said hoppers including other members extending in downwardly bellied curves substantially the entire distance between said sills bers defining elongated hopper discharge openings extending substantially from side sill to side sill, said members being suiciently strong to con- Stitute the sole cross member load supporting means between said sills intermediate said holsters.

8. Structure as described in claim '7 in which the upper end portions of adjacent transverse members are joined to each other so that said adjacent members form member extending between said sills.

9. In a hopper car underframe, bolsters, a series of hoppers extending between said bolsters, side sills extending between and constituting the sole longitudinal force transmitting elements bef of the end hoppers, said tween the end portions hoppers being located below the tops of said sills and including members extending in a direct line substantially the entire distance between said sills but sloping longitudinally of the car and forming end walls of said hoppers, said hoppers including an angular transverse,

other members extending in a downwardly bellied curve substantially the entire distance between said sills but sloping downwardly and longitudinally of the car toward said first mentioned members, the spaces between the lower edges of adjacent members dening elongated discharge openings extending substantially from side sill io side sill, said members being formed of sumcient strength to constitute the sole cross member load supporting means between said sills intermediate said bolsters,

10. A hopper car underframe structure comprising bolsters and hopper side and end wall plates, said side plates being folded over at their upper edges to form underframe main side sills, said hopper plates constituting the sole horizontal and verticalload carrying members between said bolsters and at least one of said plates being downwardly bowed along its lower edge for y H. M. PFLAGER. EINAR G. HALLQUIST. WILLIAM M. SHEEHAN.

bowed to strengthen the transl 

